


Studs

by Remmy-Free (Remembrance)



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Comedy, Comfort Reading, Cute, Fluff, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-09 11:45:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1981797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Remembrance/pseuds/Remmy-Free
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto's always felt a little lonely since his two closest friends had partners of their own, but when their small study group gains a member... Someone call the ambulance. He's got a cute smile.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Studs

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cottontale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cottontale/gifts).



> This is for Cottontale, who just hit me in the good feels and woke up some kind of MakoHaru urge inside me. It's the first time in... seven months since I've written any of these dorks, so this was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> * * *

 Makoto took a deep breath and tried to work out another problem. He was focused, and probably would have figured out how the graph was correlated to the sub-variables if—

 “Ah!” Nitori screamed.

 Nobody reacted.

 Screaming was normal in campus during finals.

 “Oy.” Rin frowned. “Don’t be so loud next time.”

 Nitori pressed his forehead against his notebook and sobbed.

 “Ahh…” Nagisa did the same. “No more…”

 Makoto just took in the sight and let out a small chuckle. They were sitting at a long table in the middle of the library, second floor so it wasn’t too busy. He was sitting on the long side of the rectangular table, next to Nagisa. Rin was sitting across from him, and Nitori was sitting at the ‘head’ of the table, between Rin and Makoto. He didn’t know Nagisa or Rin too well, but he’d hung out with them enough time to know they were good people.

 Nagisa got up. “No! I must study!” Nagisa smacked his hand over his heart. “Rei-chan promised me smooches if I studied hard!”

 Makoto let a small smile form on his lips. For as long as he had known Rei (which backdated to preschool times), he had always been so quiet and reserved. There was something oddly… yin and yang about Rei and his new boyfriend. Makoto had always heard that opposites may attract, but it took similarities to stay together. After Nagisa got with Rei, he knew relationships were just one-on-one to blanket with such general statements so easily.

 Not that he would really know.

 Makoto had never actually had a boy or girlfriend of his own.

 “Smooches,” Nitori repeated. His pleading eyes looked at Rin. “You should get me to study with promises of smooches.”

 Rin made a ‘tch’ noise. “Just fucking study.”

 Nitori grinned and leaned over, kissing Rin’s cheek.

 Rin blushed hard enough he had to excuse himself to get a drink of water.

 Makoto glanced at Nitori, then Rin. He’d known Nitori since high school, and he never thought he’d ever go for someone as loud and scary as Rin Matsuoka… but Rin was sensitive too, and he matched Nitori in that regard.

 “Ahem.”

 They all looked to the side.

 Rei approached the table and put his bag down. “Apologies for being late.”

 “No!” Nagisa smacked the other ‘head’ of the table. “Sit next to me!”

 “Nagisa,” Rei used his warning tone, “We’re in a library.”

 “Well then…” Nagisa used his teasing tone, which usually said Rei’s warning tone had no effect, “You better sit next to me… or… I… might…” He smirked. “Scream.”

 Rei dropped next to Nagisa and pulled out his books.

 Makoto let out a soft laugh and looked back at his problems. He had no interest to do any of them. If anything, he was ahead of his study plan, but he figured one could never be too ahead.

 Rin came back, muttering something when he got back in his seat. “Where the fuck is Haru?”

 Nagisa looked up. “Haru?”

 Makoto ran a hand through his hair. “Haru? Is he the friend that was supposed to meet us?”

 “Yeah.” Rin rolled his eyes. “Fucker probably slept in.”

 “I bet he didn’t,” Nitori defended. “In fact, he’s right there.” He waved.

 Makoto turned his head.

 Sporting a pair of skin-tight black jeans, a light blue shirt, and a dark navy hoodie, he had black hair and blue eyes. He walked over to the table, giving a little nod to Nitori before he took a seat. Above his left eye, he had a stud piercing in his eyebrow.

 Makoto squirmed a little, wondering how much that would have hurt.

 “Hi Haru-chan!” Nagisa offered his hand. “I’m Nagisa.”

 Haruka stared for almost a full minute before he shook his hand.

 Nagisa grinned and jumped out of his seat to latch onto Rei. “And this,” he said before he smooched Rei’s forehead (despite protest) somewhere between three or four thousand times, “Is my boyfriend, Rei-chan!”

 Haruka dipped his head again. “Hello.”

 “N-Nagisa!” Rei pushed the blond back in his chair. “I apologise on his behalf!”

 “It’s okay.” Haruka looked over to Nitori, then his eyes fell on Makoto.

 “I-I’m M-Makoto!”

 Nagisa blinked. “Did you just stutter?”

 “N-No!”

 Haruka smiled. “Hi.”

 Makoto swore the smile was melting his heart. “You’re hot. I mean, um! You’re hi! Like hello! Like you’re high on… drugs?” Makoto’s face dropped. “I mean! Um!”

 “It’s okay,” Haruka muttered. “You’re not bad yourself.” He pulled out his books and got to work.

 Makoto’s cheeks burned with the fire of a thousand suns and he decided solving eight problems was the only way he could redeem his family’s honour.

 The table was filled with giggles and snickers (even from Rei!) but Makoto swallowed his embarrassment and got to work. Everyone else did too.

 It was after fifteen minutes that Nagisa looked up, pink eyes alive and searching Haruka. “Did it hurt?”

 Haruka looked up. “If you’re going to say when I fell from heaven…”

 Nagisa erupted into laughter (which caused Rei to shush him extensively). “No! Sorry, I meant your piercing.” Nagisa poked his own eyebrow. “Did it hurt?”

 “No, not really.”

 “Oh!” Nagisa leaned forward. “You must’a had a good person poking you.”

 “I did it myself.”

 “Whoa! Really?”

 Rin chuckled. “Haru works at a piercing place.”

 “Tattoos and piercings,” Haruka corrected in his monotone voice.

 “Really?” Nagisa wiggled in his chair. “I’ve been thinking about getting something done, just to freak out my parents. I mean, that’s kind of why I have Rei, I’m bringing him home for Christmas.” He slapped Rei’s arm as if that was somehow going to emphasise his point. “But maybe I can get something done. What do you think I should get?”

 “First piercing?”

 “Mhm. I got nothing, no piercings, no tattoos.”

 Haruka leaned forward, examining Nagisa’s face. “Hm.” He tilted his head. “You’ve got a cute face.”

 Nagisa grinned. “Awww, shucks, but I’m taken.”

 “Yeah, not like that.” Haruka tilted his head again. “Your skin’s pretty clear, smooth complexion. I would probably work with that… I’d get one piercing, just one. Some people can get seven or eight piercings, but you would work better with just one or two, I think.”

 Nagisa raised his eyebrows. “Oh? What about tattoos?”

 Haruka shrugged. “Same thing. I wouldn’t go extreme for you.”

 Nagisa leaned back in his chair. “What about… a tramp stamp?”

 Rei gasped. “Nagisa!”

 Haruka shrugged again. “If you want it, sure.”

 Nagisa smacked Rei’s arm. “What about him? What piercing or tattoo would you put on him?”

 “I don’t want one!”

 “Too bad, Rei-chan!”

 “Absolutely not!”

 “Can we pierce his dick?”

 “NAGISA!”

 Haruka coughed. “Not without consent.”

 “Awww.” Nagisa deflated.

 Haruka looked at Rei. “I think he’s… good the way he is.”

 “See?” Rei smirked. “I’m fine the way I am.” He adjusted his glasses. “Naturally.”

 Rin rolled his eyes. “What were you saying about canvasses and shit?”

 Haruka turned to him.

 Nitori nodded. “Yeah, you were saying like, each person is a canvas and stuff.”

 “Yeah.” Rin nodded. “Don’t you wanna, work on his canvass or whatever?”

 “No.” Haruka looked at his book. “An empty canvass isn’t any less of a canvass than a canvass with a painting on it.”

 Rei smiled. “Thank you.”

 Haruka nodded.

 Nagisa smacked Makoto’s arm. “What about him?”

 “N-No.” Makoto shook his head. “I can’t do piercings, or tattoos.” His voice raised three octaves, “They scare me.”

 Haruka stared at Makoto. “Friendship.”

 “Wh-What?” Makoto looked left and right. “What? Friendship?”

 “You’re the kind of guy…” Haruka paused, wondering how to word it. “You’d get a tattoo for important things, to remember someone, to make a promise. You’re scared of tattoos, but you’d get one if something is important enough.”

 Makoto paused, staring at Haruka for several minutes.

 

~ ~ ~

 

 “But Rei-chan!”

 “Go to class!”

 “Not without my kiss!”

 Rei blushed fiercely and leaned down to kiss Nagisa.

 Nagisa, satisfied, smirked and hopped away.

 Nitori snickered to himself. “You are so whipped.”

 “Silence!”

 Makoto laughed and raised both hands. “Easy, easy, you two.”

 Nitori adjusted his scarf (a red one that smelled like Rin…) and sighed. “Okay, okay. Let’s go home.”

 Makoto nodded and glanced at Rei. “Want to come over?”

 “If it’s not a problem…”

 “Of course not.” Makoto smiled. “You know our place is your place.”

 “Yeah, we do miss you.” Nitori grinned. “But I’m happy you moved in with Nagisa too. You two are really good for each other.”

 Rei blinked. “You think so?”

 “Of course.” Makoto nodded. “You think I would let you date someone bad for you? You’re smiling so much lately, and you’re trying new things, trying new foods, all good things.”

 Nitori let out a small chuckle as they began walking. “Yeah, you would eat the same foods every day of every week.”

 “It was efficient!”

 Nitori rolled his eyes, deciding not to get into it. “I like Rin.” He looked up. “But his friend Haru… What do you guys think of him?”

  “He was weird,” Rei stated firmly. “Very weird.”

 “Yeah,” Makoto agreed, looking up at the sky, “He was really nice.”

 “Makoto, that’s not what I said at all.”

 Nitori snerked, putting a hand to his mouth.

 “H-Huh?” Makoto looked at them. “What did I say?”

 Rei just sighed.

 Rei just sighed...

 

~ ~ ~

 

 It was during the last class before an exam that Makoto had stepped into the classroom and picked his usual seat in the second row. He was always more of a first row kinda guy, but this teacher had a really mean stare so he tried to hide behind the four-foot-two girl in the front row. It’s as he was pulling out his notebook that he saw someone walked up to him. He looked up, and a smile formed on his lips. “H-Haru!”

 Haruka looked at the seat next to him. “Mind if I sit here?”

 “Not at all! Go for it.”

 Haruka nodded and took the seat. He got out his notebook as well and pulled out a pen.

 “I didn’t know you were in the class.”

 “I…” Haruka shrugged. “Sit in the back.”

 “Oh, so why did you come up here?”

 “Saw you.”

 “Oh!” Makoto grinned. “That makes sense! We don’t get much chance to talk in this class, so I don’t have any friends in here.”

 Haruka just gave a little nod.

 “So um…” Makoto scratched the back of his head. “What’s your major?”

 “I’m here for my masters,” Haruka admitted. “This is an elective.”

 “Masters?” Makoto’s eyebrows shot up. “I’m only in third year, myself. What are you going for?”

 “Doctor.” Haruka noticed their prof was setting up so he looked up. “I’d… like to help people.”

 Makoto grinned. “That’s really noble of you.”

 Haruka smiled softly.

 

~ ~ ~

 

 “Hello? Emergency number?” Makoto threw himself on the couch. “He has a really cute smile!”

 Nitori ran another dish under the hot water and looked over his shoulder. They were in their small apartment which was ten minutes from campus. “Wow… you’ve known him for… two days?”

 “He’s in my class!” Makoto sprung up and the puppiest of all smiles was on his face. “He’s just, really nice. Like he’s good looking, and smart—really smart!—He helped me solve all my equations!—and he’s kind of… really sweet, I think. I don’t know. He’s… yeah.”

 “He’s yeah?” Nitori smiled sweetly. “You have a way with words.”

 And there was Nitori’s teasing Makoto both loved and hated; Nitori only teased people he was really close to, so on one hand Makoto took it as a compliment but on the other hand Makoto hated being teased.

 “Well…” Nitori turned off the faucet. “I hope you don’t mind… I invited Rin over for a movie tonight.”

 “Oh?” Makoto blinked. “Do you want me out of the apartment so you two could, you know?”

 “No, no, the opposite… Rin said he was supposed to hang out with Haru tonight, so I kind of invited them both over.”

 Makoto scrambled to his feet and clutched his heart. “H-Haru?”

 Nitori smirked.

 

~ ~ ~

 

 The movie was actually… kind of boring. They had two couches in front of their T.V. Rin lied down on one, Nitori claiming his rightful spot in front of him. Haruka and Makoto sat on the other one. Makoto spent the first thirty minutes of the movie, twiddling his thumbs, catching glances of Haruka, admiring how he looked from the side, from the side with his piercing. He was a lot less squeamish about it, and actually found it kind of nice.

 After the forty five minute mark, Haruka shifted and leaned on Makoto, somewhat shamelessly.

 Makoto blushed and stuttered something.

 Haruka glanced over. “Is this okay?”

 “Y-Yeah. I-I like it.”

 Haruka smiled softly.

 Wee-woo-wee-woo the ambulance rang to save Makoto from his freak-out.

 “Put your arm around me.”

 Makoto lifted his arm and put it over Haruka’s shoulder, pulling him closer.

 Haruka’s smile grew.

 The ambulance drove faster.

 Or at least Makoto seriously hopped so because holy gosh darn frick freckles.

 After the movie ended, Rin fell asleep out of boredom, and Nitori fell asleep because he was comfy and he had probably gotten very little sleep since it was finals.

 Haruka made a move. He straddled Makoto’s lap and put a hand over his face.

 Makoto’s eyes widened. “H-Hi.”

 “Hi.” Haruka smiled. “Sorry… I just, changed my mind.”

 “H-Huh?”

 “I think…” Haruka poked Makoto’s eyebrow. “You’d look good with a piercing, right here.”

 “R-Really?”

 Haruka nodded.

 “M-Maybe I should g-get one, th-then?”

 “Only if you want to.”

 “Well, um.” Makoto thought about it. “My parents probably won’t mind… I-I guess I would be o-okay with it.”

 Haruka tilted his head. “Only if you want to,” he repeated.

 “I-I kind of want to?” Makoto moved his arms around Haruka’s waist, feeling a brush of smooth skin when one of his fingers accidentally slipped up Haruka’s shirt. “I just think, like, it’s that time of my life I’m supposed to go crazy and regret stuff, right? So uh, might as well make use of it.”

 Haruka moved his hips in Makoto’s lap. “Mhm.”

 His cheeks burned red. “H-Haru...”

 “Sorry.”

 “N-No it’s okay, I kind of…” Makoto meeped. “I might have like a crush on

 Haruka smiled again.

 “Like uh, I think we should go on a date or something.”

 “Okay.”

 “O-Okay?” Makoto blinked. “R-Really? Like, actually?”

 “Yeah.”

 “Seriously?” Makoto squeezed Haruka and grinned. “Really?”

 Haruka rolled his eyes and closed his eyes; he lowered his lips until they brushed against Makoto.

 Makoto’s eyes shot open, but then they slowly closed. He felt Haruka’s lips, soft, smooth, against his and he melted into the kiss.

 Haruka moved away and kissed the corner of Makoto’s lips. “I like you.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

 “So…” Rin yawned. He never really woke up from his nap during the movie, but the two of them walked home together. “You were pretty close to Makoto when Nitori got off me.”

 “Hm. Yeah.”

 Rin nudged Haruka’s shoulder. “Yo, gonna talk about it?”

 “Hn.”

 “Ugh.” Rin threw his hands in the air and then rested them behind his head. “You don’t have to be so quiet, geez. So, you two getting along?”

 “I kissed him.”

 Rin stopped. “What?” Rin grabbed Haruka’s arm to stop him from walking. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold up! What?”

 Haruka looked at him and shrugged.

 “Don’t,” Rin shrugged, “Me!”

 Haruka just shrugged again.

 “Hey, hey, hey listen, okay?” Rin frowned. “Makoto’s a really nice guy and apparently he’s never had a boyfriend before, okay? So don’t go teasing him or leading him on or some shit like that.”

 “Okay.”

 Rin let go of Haru and shook his head. “Good. Just don’t go out with him or anything.”

 “We’re going on a date.”

 “What?”

 “Tuesday.”

 “What?”

 “Day before our final.”

 “What?”

 “Date. Tuesday. Before–”

 “I heard you!” Rin shouted.

 Haruka stared. “Then why ask?” He made a ‘tch noise. “Annoying.”

 Rin crossed his arms. “So why are you going out with this guy? You just met him.”

 “I like him.” Haruka shrugged. “He’s nice.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

 The two of them were seated at a small table by the waterfront. Makoto noticed Haru kept glancing to the ocean, and if that little twinkle in his eye was anything to go by, Makoto figured he had chosen right for a date spot. He glanced down to the menu, looking at the endless options of seafood. “Have you figured out what you wanted?”

 Haruka’s attention snapped back to him and he gave a little nod.

 “That’s good.” Makoto looked down and decided on something random. “So…” He scratched the back of his head. “Um… You said you wanted to be a doctor?”

 “Yeah.”

 “That’s awesome.”

 Haruka gave another little nod.

 Makoto swallowed hard.

 Haruka smiled. “What about you?”

 “Oh, well, I’m in the sciences now.” Makoto grinned. “I’m majoring in micro-bi, I have no idea what I’m going to specialise in after, but I’m thinking of going into like… disease control, and that sort of stuff like that…. yeah.” He gave a small shrug of his shoulders. “Not sure yet.”

 “You have time.” Haruka nodded. “Why disease control?”

 “Uh…” Makoto shrugged again, but paired it with a nervous laugh. “I don’t really know. Sorry… I probably sound lame. I guess I’m just interested in it, because some of this stuff is just so cool. Like, not really, because all I think about is like infections and stuff now—Wow that is not proper date discussion, I’m sorry.”

 Haruka laughed, actually laughed.

 And Makoto was enough of a loser to compare it to the song of the gods. It was soft, light, but utterly carefree. Makoto half considered just saying ‘Goodbye friends, I am gone’ and flying away on a hot air balloon.

 The waiter came up to the table and offered a smile. “Have you two decided?”

 “Y-Yes.” Makoto was about to order, then he looked at Haruka. “Y-You first.”

 Haruka closed his eyes, giving Makoto a teasing smile, before he opened his eyes again. “Mackerel.”

 “Good choice,” the waiter commented. “And for you, sir?”

 “I’ll go with the halibut, please.”

 The waiter took their menus and gave a polite half-bow before he left.

 Haruka grabbed his glass of water and took a small sip.

 Makoto smiled, and scratched his arm. “S-So, what kind of things do you do? Any hobbies?”

 “I draw.” Haruka put his glass down. “Mostly tattoo designs, for the shop.”

 “Oh! That’s kind of cool. Do you have any tattoos yourself?”

 Haruka had to hold back a laugh.

 “Huh?”

 “It’s… in a more… private area.”

 “Huh?” Makoto repeated. “Oh!” He slammed his back against his chair, lifting the front two legs off the ground. “You mean–” He would have finished his sentence, but his chair crashed to the ground and Makoto along with it.

 “Makoto!”

 Makoto scrambled right back up, slamming his butt in the chair, and pretending nothing happened.

 Haruka released a breath of relief and shook his head.

 “I-I’m sorry.” Makoto swallowed hard. “I’m a dork and a loser and you probably don’t want to date me so I should go.”

 “Don’t.”

 Makoto paused. “Huh?”

 Haruka made eye contact with him. “Stay.”

 “R-Really?” Makoto smiled.

 Wee-woo-wee-woo, the ambulance rang to save Haruka from his freak-out; he swore Makoto’s smile was melting his heart.

 

~ ~ ~

 

 “You sure?”

 “Y-Yeah… Will there be like, a lot of blood?”

 “Not really.”

 “O-Okay, Haru… let’s do it!”

 “Stay still.”

 

~ ~ ~

 

 “I swear to God, Rei—”

 “—Don’t you dare, Nagisa—”

 “—If you don’t kiss me _right_ now…”

 “Nagisa,” Rei whisper-hissed, “We’re in a library.”

 “I’m going to scream so loud!—”

 “—Don’t you dare!—”

 “—And you know how loud I scream! When we fuck I scream like—”

 “—Nagisa!” Rei, having no choice left, grabbed the sides of Nagisa’s face and smashes their lips together.

 Nagisa closed his eyes, did a little happy dance in his seat, and made a happy noise into the kiss. “See?” he said after breaking away. “Was that so hard?”

 Rei scowled, although his cheeks were burning red.

 “Whipped,” Nitori whispered from across the table.

 “Oy.” Rin’s eyes narrowed. “You’re three pages behind me, study.”

 Nitori wibbled his lower lip. “Maybe you should kiss me.”

 “Fuck you, study.”

 Nitori’s eyes narrowed.

 Nagisa whistled. “Someone’s not getting to do the anals tonight…”

 Rei choked on air.

 Rin rolled his eyes. He gave Nitori a small smooch on the temple. “Study, okay? All of you.”

 And it was just in that moment when they finally put their heads down and began reading their textbooks and notes that Makoto and Haruka approached the table. “Hey,” Makoto chimed.

 “Hey Makoto.” Nagisa looked up. And then his heart stopped. “Oh sweet baby Jesus…”

 Rei frowned and looked up as well.

 Nitori, dying to take his eyes off the textbook, glanced at him. “Whoa!”

 “Study!” Rin hissed, but eventually he too glanced to Makoto, and his mouth snapped shut.

 Haruka smirked. “Looks good, doesn’t it?”

 Makoto’s cheeks dusted pink and he scratched his nose. On his eyebrow were two studs, one above, one below, black in colour. “What do you think?”

 “I’m sorry Rei,” Nagisa whispered, “I’m thinking thoughts of infidelity.”

 “I-It’s fine.” Rei’s eyes were glued to Makoto. “I am too.”

 Rin swallowed hard. “Shit… It looks good on you.”

 “Thanks,” Makoto laughed nervously.

 “Ai,” Haruka muttered. “You’re drooling on your textbook.”

 Nitori’s mouth snapped shut.

 Haruka smirked.

 “A-A-Anyway,” Rin spoke louder than normal, “S-Study!”

 Haruka nodded and took a seat.

 Makoto sat next to him and leaned over to place a small kiss on his cheek.

 Haruka gave him a look and they both knew what it meant.

 Nobody was going to get any studying done.


End file.
